Next Door
by Leigh-koi
Summary: FemHarry moves away to relax, but everyday it turns into the exact opposite since she hides how she really defeated Voldy. Feeling angst after fulfilling her prophecy, she turns around and can't help but feel attracted to the orange-haired Shinigami
1. Chapter 1

Shinigami

Leigh's pronunciation: FYI: "LEE"

"Dialogue/Talking"

'Thoughts'

_Flashbacks_

**"Hollow/Vizard talking"**

**_"Parceltongue"_**

Disclaimer: I do not own anything of Bleach or Harry Potter, but thank you for reading my story anyway!

A/N" Please ignore that the beginning of the story is similar to my story "Broken Soul."

Chapter 1

Leaving

This was the moment Leigh and everyone else in the wizarding world, have been waiting for as she saw two flashes of red and green light clash together, faster than the human eye could see. However, to the Girl-Who-Lived, Leigh Lillian Potter, it was the exact opposite. Seeing Voldemort's spells now compared to before her intense training was quite possibly the easiest time she was able to block his spells. She wanted to feel surprised when Voldemort's wand slipped from his fingers and the green light of the killing curse reverted back to its owner, striking him in the chest, but it was impossible for her to feel shocked. Not when she knew that Voldemort would not be capable of blocking any spell she used from her training.

Leigh's breathing was harsh and shallow and her expression was practically nonexistent. She watched the shock on her enemy's face as the snake lord fell to his death. She did not allow anyone to see the secret to Voldemort's death by placing a small almost unnoticeable illusion around everyone that stood around the two. Just before he dropped to the floor she dropped the spell. She watched him fall to the ground, not making a move… not noticing the fleeing death eaters get away from a one-way trip to Azkaban Prison. She ignored the screams of happiness roaring out of everyone's mouth. She couldn't look away from the snake-man for some reason. Despite all the terror he caused everyone here today and herself, for the past seven years, she couldn't help but feel a grudging respect for him.

It was difficult to explain, but she understood perfectly. This man lying dead on the ground was the prime example of what Leigh could have become if she was not able to open her heart to Ron and Hermione. Leigh and Voldemort had similar life styles when they were young. Both got picked on by other kids and lived in abusive families or orphanages, but somehow she was able to see a bright side. She had hope for her future when she lived with the Dursley's. Leigh hoped that one day she would find the happiness that she needed. Unlike her, Voldemort hadn't had the hope to search. He never had friends, but instead devoted followers that feared him. She felt as though she still hasn't quite found it, but it is closer every day. At least, she hoped so.

Leigh couldn't sit still anymore and listen to everyone's cheerful laughter, so she made her way to the headmaster's office under her invisibility cloak. She couldn't bring herself to talk to anyone anymore. She couldn't blame anyone for wanting to celebrate. She really couldn't, but her heart was too heavy for any celebrations, even though it was in her honor. Her movements were instinct as her mind went numb. She couldn't think straight anymore as she walked through the secret entrance to the office she hadn't been inside for almost a year. Looking around, she couldn't stop herself from giving a small, sad smile. The office hadn't changed a bit. It was almost as if Hogwarts had wanted to protect the last remaining dignity it had besides the Room of Requirement from the invading Death Eaters. Although, the only person that had been allowed to enter the office was Severus Snape for being Dumbledore's man ever since Voldemort killed her mother.

What could she say? Leigh would be lying if she didn't say it was a shock for her that Professor Snape, the meanest, snarkiest man in Hogwarts had been a friend with her mother when they were younger. Until a few hours ago she never wanted to acknowledge how brave and honorable he had truly became over time, but now she realized what a mistake that was when he was bitten in the neck by Nagini when Voldemort thought he was the owner of the Elder wand. Now she couldn't help herself in thinking about all the times he saved her life. The cursed broom in first year, sort of defending her against Argus Filch when he thought his precious devil-cat was dead, and in her third year attempting to shield her and friends against Remus' werewolf form. He stood right in front with both arms spread wide ready to take the hit (or bite). She wasn't even sure if he had his wand in hand. He did so much for her over the years, including helping in her search for a way to destroy a few horcruxes without her knowing until the end. Even though his protection came to Leigh because of being the daughter of Lily Evans Potter, he still sacrificed himself to help her.

When she arrived inside the office she looked up, almost startled when she heard applause and cheering coming from the portraits on the walls. However, the only one she wanted to see this very moment was an old man with half-moon glasses. She spotted him at once, having the largest frame out of all the former headmasters and mistresses of this school.

"My dear girl," Albus began. "I cannot possibly describe how impeccably proud I am of you."

She looked away, feeling ridiculously shy like a first year all over again. Leigh looked back up to see the most sparkling eyes she'd ever seen in the wrinkled face. She could swear that he looked like he wanted to shed tears any minute now. She opened her mouth, but no words would exit. She wasn't sure what to say anymore. Most of the conversations they ever had together were generally about Voldemort, and now that he was no more, she suddenly felt nervous speaking to him.

"Then don't. He's gone now. I was able to gain possession of the Elder wand just as you wanted," She said almost breathily. "Indeed so," The former headmaster said.

"I'll hide it away, so no one can challenge me and the life of the Elder wand will end. I will be its final master." Leigh concluded.

"I agree whole-heartedly with your idea. If I may ask, why are you alone? Where are Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley?"

Leigh would bet anything that her face turned pasty. She did not want to think about what happened, but the moment Professor Dumbledore asked she felt the memory return to her mind like the Hogwarts Express slamming into her gut at top speed. She looked away from the portrait once again.

It happened when Leigh, Ron, and Hermione were trapped inside the Malfoy Manor dungeon. Things went from deep shit to absolute hell. Hermione was dragged out of her cell by Bellatrix Lestrange. She and Ron were forced to watch as Hermione was subjected to the Cruciatus curse over and over again. She asked her questions of where her friends were. She almost wished that Hermione hadn't placed a disillusionment charm on them at the last minute when they were unexpectedly ambushed. It was smart of her to do so, but seeing her being tortured was heart breaking. She would never be able to forget the look of absolute pain on Hermione's face when she begged for Bellatrix to stop, to kill her, anything to stop the pain. Except the only way she would stop is the information that Hermione did not give.

Leigh took a deep breath, not wanting to let tears run out of her eyes as she recalled the memory. In the end, she and Ron hadn't been able to do a thing because they were chained to the wall inside the cell as well as their wands taken away They couldn't apparate away like they wanted due to special wards preventing a prisoner's escape. As a result, they were forced to watch as Hermione's eyes dulled lifelessly.

_Dobby came to the rescue, and with his unusual elven magic helped Leigh Potter and her Weazy out of the manor. Once they arrived at Bill and Fleur's house she turned to her only friend and was met with a wand pointed to her face. When Ron was set free by Dobby he'd grabbed his wand just in time before they left the cell. Ron's hand trembled with anger as he tried to refrain from yelling the first spell that came to mind at his long time friend. Leigh knew that Ron had been in love with Hermione. She often saw the two holding hands as they slept at Grimmauld Place and now that she was unable to be helped, she could see the sadness and regret in his eyes. Leigh could read what he was thinking in his eyes as he looked at her. Ron hated her now. Within the hour, she'd lost her both friends. The only thing keeping Ron from cursing her with every spell he knew was that Hermione's death was still fresh in his mind. She backed away from Ron, trying to tell him that she understood. She would leave and never bother him again. It broke her heart to do it, but she apparated away. Since then she fulfilled the prophecy on her own._

Dumbledore frowned with worry as he saw his precious student's eyes turn red and her chest taking ragged breath's. "Leigh?' He asked, coaxing her to speak. She couldn't though. No matter how much time it takes, she will never be able to get over this. Every night she sleeps she can hear Hermione's screams and Ron's eyes of hatred even though he hadn't spoken to her that night, only turning his wand on her.

She gave him a bitter snort. "What do you think happened?"

"I could venture a guess, but I do not wish to overstep my boundaries in case I'm wrong," He admitted to her. His voice attempted to sooth her, but she didn't want to listen to his piteous tone.

"I don't want to talk about it. The only thing I'll say is that I'll never be seeing them again," She replied. Her voice struggled to remain steady when she talked, but somehow she managed, if not coming off a bit cold. Leigh took a deep breath as she tried to think of something else. She never liked crying in front of people during the few times she actually did. She sighed in relief when she thought of something else.

"Will Professor Snape get his own portrait in here?" she asked finally.

"He will. He was a headmaster of Hogwarts, after all. No matter how short a period it was," he replied.

"Is the transporting device ready for my exit?" Leigh asked.

"Yes, I had it ready for you before my death. It's timed to go any time you want as long as Voldemort was destroyed, and now that he is, you're free to do as you like."

Leigh sighed in relief. Although the portkey was originally meant for Her, Ron, and Hermione it is impossible since Hermione was dead and Ron can no longer stand her presence.

"I'm ready now. There's nothing for me to pack. I'll buy any necessities when I get there. The paperwork for the house you bought for me should be finalized, right?" Leigh said wanting to leave.

"It is ready. Your destination will be Karakura, Japan. All you need to do is touch the pencil with a finger."

She nodded with acceptance. Before she touched the portkey Dumbledore had one more thing to say. "Does anyone besides me know you're leaving?"

"No," she replied monotonously. Her finger was merely centimeters away from the pencil, but she sighed as she too thought of something new to say.

"But I suppose you may tell only one person if absolutely necessary. It must only be her, for I trust no one as much as I would trust her if it weren't the fact that Ron and Hermione are gone."

Dumbledore waited for Leigh to continue.

Leigh pressed her finger to the pencil's wood edge and felt the beginning of the portkey's activation.

The last words to leave her mouth before she disappeared with the pencil portkey was the name of the only person she would allow permission to know where her location was.

"Luna Lovegood."

***

Leigh looked up to the sky just after her feet slammed to the ground. Her tired body collapsed in the grass. Her body was still wounded from the battle at Hogwarts. She winced as she felt a few stitches on her arm twinge, but otherwise they were safe. Sometimes potions couldn't heal everything in one go. Her hand relaxed and let the pencil slide from her fingers into the damp grass.

'Why are portkeys so troublesome? I can never land properly. I should have just asked Dumbledore to teach me to apparate across an ocean.'

She gave a mental groan. 'I should probably get up before someone sees me in this battered state. I don't feel like dealing with any hospitals for a while.'

Her eyes drooped sleepily. 'But I'm so tired. I haven't slept in three days.'

Her eyes snapped open and she summoned the strength to heave herself up. That's right, just like the strength she used to get to Dumbledore's office. The last of the Pepper Up potion's use was coming to an end. She had to hurry. She only hoped when she got inside their was a couch. 'Oh wait, Dumbledore said the house was ready.' "Accio housekey," she whispered.

A small silver key floated into her hand, unlocked the door and sighed. "Finally." She trudged to the couch and flopped down falling asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Kurosaki, Ichigo

"ICHIGO! ICHIGO! IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO GET THE HELL UP! YOU'LL BE LATE FOR SCHOOL!" shouted the annoying voice of Kon. However, his attempts were futile due to the strong will of a substitute shinigami.

A strong will indeed, considering he grabbed Kon by the head while still sleeping and threw him out the window. Kon crashed undignified to the ground after a two-story fall, and he began shouting nonsense at Ichigo about cruelty to stuffed animals.

_"_Why that stupid, no good orange-haired idiot! Why did the beautiful Rukia-chan stick me with a blockhead like him?"Kon grumbled to himself.

**"Aibou, you'll have to do better than that if you want to beat me,"** An albino taunted while smirking.

"Tsk," An annoyed voice answered in return. "I could say the same to you."

**"Oh? Tough words to say considering I know everything about you."**

Ichigo rolled his eyes as he listened to his inner hollow trash talk him to get him angry, and fight seriously. Yep, all this hostility because he still hasn't named the bastard. And now he had to face a constant battle for control when he slept or fought other hollows. However, irritating as it was to hear, his hollow look-alike was right. He knew and learned everything Ichigo did and at the exact time he did, but the styles they use to fight with their power are completely different. He preferred to fight on the intent to protect his friends while his hollow claimed it to be instinct. The reason being, when opponents find a power equal to theirs, they will do anything to get rid of it, turning the enemy into prey before they die first. In other words, kill or be killed.

Ichigo sighed, wiped sweat away from his face, and grimaced when he felt the sting of a deep cut on his right cheek. He was only glad it wouldn't show on his face in the conscious world or he'd have to deal with worrying from his family.

Ichigo's hollow shook his shoulder to adjust his muscles and snorted amused when he sensed Ichigo's father's reiatsu heading inside the room. The hollow forced Ichigo out of his sideways inner world to face his randomly attacking father. Once Ichigo was gone he narrowed his eyes with interest.

**'What is that power I sensed?'** The hollow thought once Ichigo returned to consciousness.

***

"ICHIIIIIGOOOO!"

Ichigo woke as soon as he heard the first syllable of his name. This happened every single day, so it was no surprise when he saw his father try to land a drop kick to his face. He could be predictable at times so Ichigo easily dodged the foot that made its way down. Ichigo grabbed Isshin's foot and twisted it, forcing him to land face down on the floor.

Ichigo held his father's face down and growled in frustration

"Ugh! Old man, you are so annoying doing this to me every morning or when I let my guard down even a little."

"Ichi-nii, it's useless. You know he won't listen," Karin said irritated from the doorway. "Come down to the kitchen you two. Yuzu has breakfast ready."

Isshin's eyes glinted in freakish father determination. "Yuzu-chan, I'm coming my darling daughter!" He shouted racing out the door.

Ichigo groaned as he got off his bed and got ready for school. He trudged down the stairs and went to the kitchen to grab a piece of toast.

"Ichi-nii, is that all you're going to eat?" Yuzu asked concerned about her brother's health.

"Thanks Yuzu, I'm fine. I gotta go or I'll be late for school," he replied.

* * *

A/N: Just some grammar checks. No major changes. (12/3/09)


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Annoying Punks

Leigh woke dazed. No alarm clocks buzzing trying to wake her for classes, no internal alarms telling her it's time to move to a new location to avoid Voldemort until she destroyed the horcruxes. She didn't remember what day it was or how long she'd been sleeping. For all she knew she was sleeping for three days straight, but it was the best sleep she had in ages. There were no nightmares, although she didn't expect that freedom to last for long. It was an incredible feeling considering she forgot to put up her occlumency shields.

"Then again maybe the shields are unnecessary now that Voldemort's gone." Sigh. "Who knows. I better keep them up just in case."

She willed herself to sit up, leaning against the back of the couch. She groaned as a scar was touched. She would have to make more healing cream soon. She forced herself out of the comfortable couch and went to the kitchen to see if there was any food. She opened the fridge and found it bare. She glared inside the fridge. There was nothing in the damned fridge.

"Okay." She closed the fridge. "I have to go to the store for food." She looked around. "I hope there is a map somewhere around here." She opened drawers. There was silverware, plates, and glasses already provided. She also found a pouch of money and small guide to using the currency in Japan. Thankfully, Dumbledore had converted some of her magic money into muggle money.

'Yes, it is a good thing. I'd like to avoid any kind of Ministries for a while longer, but Dumbledore should have also notified the Japanese Minister of my arrival."

However, she still couldn't find any town maps in the house. Dumbledore clearly loved having her go on adventures because she would need to if she wanted to eat anytime soon.

'Maybe I'll just find fast food for now. I will still need to get groceries though, but the fact of the matter is, I still don't have a damn map.'

Leigh finally gave up the search and decided to rough it and look for the store herself. She looked down at herself and frowned. She couldn't go out in her battle robes. Black flowing robes would look to strange in a muggle society. Since she didn't pack any clothing she decided to transfigure the robes until she bought some for herself. She removed her clothing to take a bath first. When she said the spell. The robe changed into a loose black tunic, black leggings underneath, and her shoes changed into black ankle boots to match. She placed a cleaning spell on her clothing to get the blood off. She couldn't imagine anyone reacting positively to the sight of blood on her clothing either.

She stepped out of the bath standing at a proud 5'6". Having always been the shortest in her year 5'6" was an achievement for her. She combed her messy wet hair so now it shined beautifully down to her elbows. The red natural color in her hair stood out in contrast to the black. The color was red like blood. Long bangs curled under her chin to frame her face. She hooked her bra over her c-cup breasts and put her tunic on over. She put the rest of her clothing on as well after everything was situated and bandages were cleaned. Once she put on her boots she was ready to go.

Leigh locked the door on her way out and calmly made the journey into town once she figured out how to get there. As she turned left on a street to get to the store she could see that she made a wrong turn. Someone turned to her and when they did she could see this fellow had a few friends with him. She turned around deciding that she didn't want to deal with any trouble if they decided to try. Her wishful thinking was denied as someone decided to grab her elbow.

She stopped and turned around. 'Damn it.'

She put up an innocent smile, or which in her case turned into a smirk.

"May I help you with something?"

"Yeah, what's a cute little thing like you doing all alone?" someone in a hat asked.

She blinked.

"I'm looking for the grocery store. You wouldn't happen to know where I can find it, would you?"

Someone with torn old shoes came forward. "Sure we'll help you get there if you come with us."

She blinked again and feigned confusion. "Go with you where? All I want to know is where the grocery store is."

Someone with a stain on his shirt, in which Leigh sincerely hoped was mud came forward to put his two-cents in. "Didn't you hear? Go on a date with one of us and maybe we'll tell you where the store is."

Her eyes drooped and her mouth hung open slightly. Did these fools think she was some kind of idiot? She shoved her arm away from the person holding her elbow. Her face went back to smiling innocently and the boys acted like they didn't even notice the change in her expression. They did seem to be coming in closer to her.

"But," she said confused. "What part of going on a date has to do with my wanting directions to the store?" One of their eyes twitched. She snickered mentally. Maybe they would give up on their attempt to rape her if she annoyed them enough. However the innocent act wasn't going to work, so she decided on another approach.

"You want a date huh?" She looked them up and down acting like she was checking them out and had to refrain from gagging in disgust at the lustful looks she received.

"Hm," she thought contemplatively. "A date for getting directions. Not worth it." She turned around and someone behind her was clearly pissed off and grabbed her shirt from behind. She had to bite her lip to contain the shout of pain when she was shoved into the wall. If she were any other muggle she would be absolutely terrified as a fist came hurling at her face. She ducked and smirked as she heard a satisfying crunch of fingers breaking when the fist landed on the rock wall.

"Why you bitch!" the hat wearer snarled clutching his bleeding fist.

The stained-shirt idiot tried sneaking up on her and wrapped his arms around her body tightly. "I've got her. Hurry up and do it already." She winced when she felt the scar on her back touched. Leigh sighed. Things would be so simple if she could just stupify the idiots, but it looked like she had to get physical. She nearly laughed hysterically when she saw the last of the three idiots take out a switchblade.

"Disgusting things," she said voicing her thoughts. They didn't notice the anger in her voice.

She felt the guy holding her relax just slightly, but it was good enough that she could move her body around and uppercut him in the chin. She huffed. All she wanted was to get food. Apparently, her words insulted the knife wielder because he charged her. However, his arm was caught in someone's hold. Another voice came in.

"Geez, it's you guys again," said an orange-haired teen with a scowl on his face. "First, you three disrespect the dead and now you're bothering this girl. How much lower can you get before I force you to hell? Hm?"

She was amused by his words. What was even better is that the punks seemed to recognize him as they shivered under his pissed off glare. Well this was certainly interesting, but she still wanted to know how to get to the grocery store. Her eyes widened a fraction as she saw the new comer's scowl deepen. His spiritual pressure was immense. Her mind told her to leave before he realized what she was, but being accosted by fools was just not something she could forgive.

She summoned her sweet revenge in the pocket of her tunic. With a smirk she pulled the knife out of her own scaring the near shit out of the punks at the blades length and surprising the orange haired teen that was trying to help her escape, but this act was definitely a new one.

"Like I said kittens, that knife is child's play," she purred satisfied. She could do bigger, but she didn't want to receive anymore trouble. She grabbed the collar of one of the no-names who wanted to rape her and forced him against the wall. She sighed loudly. "Now disgusting creature, you gonna tell me where the damn grocery store is yet?"

He nodded his head in panic due to the position of her knife near his throat.

"Well?" she asked sweetly.

"T-t-take a left at the end of this road and a right when you arrive at the nearest intersection."

"Thank you," she replied letting go of his shirt. She turned around and at a last attempt to get revenge he tried to lunge, but she heard him right away. She turned around and punched him in the face.

She felt peculiar and suddenly refreshed. 'Strange, I felt satisfaction beating up those punks. That guy can take care of them. I'd do it myself, but my back is hurting again.' She swore that if she ever saw those punks again, she'd do much worse. 'I also want to get out of here before my 'somewhat' savior sees my skull earring. If his reiatsu is anything to go by he'll recognize my earring for what it is if he's a shinigami like I suspect.'

The orange-haired guy stood behind confused by the new girl. 'Whoa," he thought.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Shinigami

She hurried to the store while ignoring the stings she felt in her back as her scars acted up again. She purchased enough items, but not to many that she wouldn't be able to carry since she didn't own a vehicle to carry them in. Suddenly a thought struck her, 'Idiot, why didn't I just summon a map?' She would have smacked her forehead exasperated if it weren't for the bags she carried.

Thankfully, she remembered her way home after making a detour to buy a map the muggle way. On her way home she realized something; Mr. Orange-Haired guy was approximately ten paces behind her. She knew without looking behind her because his spiritual pressure was close. It was wild and uncontrolled. She closed her eyes letting the spirit reishi flow over her. She felt lucky for the skull studded earring in her left ear. It was made to hide her reiatsu until she turned to a shinigami. All she had to do was press the earring and she'd be out of her body easily. And judging by the amount of spirit power she felt in this city, she wouldn't be able to hide for too long. After all her job was to keep the souls that couldn't move on pass on. As long as there were other shinigami around she could let herself leave the souls for them to protect, but if a hollow came she wouldn't be able to ignore it as easily.

It was important that she not let the wizards know of this development. The shinigami who turned her warned her of this. He told her they couldn't be trusted with the unknown. Especially if the unknown was easily capable of destroying Voldemort with a few kidou spells. Seriously, comparing Voldemort with a Vasto Lorde would be like insulting the hollow with the difference of power. He would be on the level of a Adjucha. The only thing that had stood in her way was the horcruxes. She had to destroy them all or he would return six more times. Even though destroying a hollow was more difficult that didn't mean that Voldemort wasn't annoying to get rid of. Which was exactly why she couldn't tell anyone.

_"I know a way ya can get rid of your pesky lil' problem." _

_Leigh looked up at the unusual looking man with silver hair and a mysterious face. _

_"How's that?" she replied._

_"You must become a shinigami. I'll teach ya on one condition. It won't be easy, even more difficult than bein' a magic user" he said softly._

_"What condition must I meet?"_

_The silver-haired man opened his eyes. The eyes revealed to Leigh spoke of mystery and death._

_"You are only a human, but an unusual one, so ya must not tell anyone what I am going to teach you."_

_Heavy options were weighing on Leigh's mind, a matter of trust being her number one thought. This man was not someone she trusted however, the only source she could turn to, to defeat Voldemort. What Dumbledore told her before of having the capabilities to love unconditionally was not the key factor like he thought. While it helped her resolve to keep going, it didn't help her defeat her enemies._

_"I promise." _

_The face of the silver-haired man looked more and more like a fox every time she looked at him. Her instincts told her to be wary, but she couldn't see any other option except to do as he says. Leigh knew, this would not be like anything she'd ever experience before._

_Three months of training passed by. Leigh still didn't know the name of the mystery that was training her and what he was. Every time she tried to ask he would revert back to his creepy fox face and shoot fire spells at her for her to dodge. Honestly, she had no idea what his problem was, but she knew not to ask anymore._

_"Hey! When did I become target practice?" she shouted indignantly._

_"When you started slacking just because you want to know my name. Why not take a guess if you're so interested." _

_She looked at his face and saw a hint of a fox return to his red eyes._

_"Okay," she conceded._

_Another fireball appeared in his hands. _

_"I'll give a hint and your only hint," The fireball shot from his palm. "It has to do with my hair."_

_She dodged the fireball feeling an increase in her speed. It looked like she would be multitasking._

_'His hair, huh? What good does that do me?' she thought. She gasped in pain falling to the ground after feeling a burning sensation on her feet._

_"Not bad. Your speed has increased substantially. _

_She made observations of his hair one more time while she allowed him to heal her burned feet._

_'Yeah, because it feels like you're going to kill me," she thought. She felt a familiar cool wave wash over her as he healed her wound._

_"It's silver. I've already noted that, but perhaps not as much as I should have," she thought._

_"Now, time to work on Kidou," he said to her._

_'I swear that guy's trying to kill me.'_

_The senkai door opened to reveal the silver-haired man she'd gotten to know… somewhat. Right away, he told her that there wasn't much she was allowed to know, but only if she could figure it out for herself. _

_"Do not hesitate. His death was insured the second he decided to mutilate his soul. A soul is precious. It is something to be treasured no matter how bad life gets."_

_She was touched by his words, not knowing what else to say. She turned back to the spell she was learning to weave. The spells incantations were so long. _

_"Learning them now will simply make it easier when you join where I live one day."_

_She wanted to know more, but there was no use. He replied that he was already risking his life by helping her. _

_"Then why do you continue to help?" _

_He didn't reply, merely giving his trademark fox smile. What more could she expect?_

_She felt a shiver rush down her spine._

_ She still had a hard time figuring out his name. The next thing she decided to try was that maybe it was a different language. That sounded the next logical step. Maybe his name was in the same language she was speaking the spells. _

_"I have come to tell you goodbye. I can no longer return here without my absence noticed," he told her._

_She swallowed nodding her head. _

_"Thank you for coming back to tell me," she replied._

_"You're sufficiently ready to take on your enemy after you destroy the rest of his fragmented soul."_

_She nodded in agreement._

_"You must not tell anyone how you will truly defeat Voldemort. Remember that."_

_"I will keep it secret to the very end."_

Leigh snorted. 'Considering where I've chosen to live I don't think I'll be keeping that secret for too long, but I'll do the best I can.' She looked behind her to see that the orange-haired guy looked ready to say something to her.

'Yes, keeping the secret from the wizards should be easy enough, but I'm not so sure around other shinigami. I'll just have to hope my earring does its job for now,' she thought.


	5. Chapter 5

Leigh turned around to fully face the orange haired teen. She could see the concerned look on her face and couldn't help but smile reassuringly.

"Well, if it isn't the one who saved me. I'm glad you found me. I wanted to thank you."

"No problem, but by the looks of things, you really didn't need my help, did you."

She looked down with a small smirk. It was true, but all the same.

"Well, all the same, I appreciate your efforts."

The weight of the bags were starting to bare down on her scars. She placed them on the ground.

"Are you new here? I've never seen you before?"

Leigh looked up after setting the bags down.

"Yeah, I just moved here last night."

"Oh yeah? Where from?"

"England."

"Well, welcome to Karakura." He held out his hand. "I'm Kurosaki, Ichigo."

She accepted the hand and gave him her name too. "Potter, Leigh. Happy to be here" 'You have no idea how much.'

Leigh couldn't help but sigh to herself. Now that she wasn't on the other side of an attack from a muggle or magic user she couldn't help but appreciate the features in front of her. The unusual orange hair simply made him more appealing. His bigger hand around her own felt rough to the touch. It wasn't a common feeling she experienced when meeting new people, but considering what she already knew of him which was only the fact that he was a shinigami, and by his uncontrolled reiatsu, he was a damn strong one. She almost wanted to ditch the secret and ask for a one on one with him.

A though struck her. She had perishables in her bags. She better get them inside the refrigerator before they go bad.

"Um, well, I better get this stuff home, before it spoils."

Ichigo stood up from his position next to her and grabbed a bag as she was about to grab some for herself. She looked next to her to see what he did.

"Oh, thanks, but I don't want to put you out."

"Hey, I'm a great bag carrier. Use me," He replied reassuringly. He also hoped that she would give him the opportunity to get to know her a little more. Especially since he could tell from the look in her eyes. She looked a little lost and lonely.

"Well, if you're sure, then I live on third street."

"You said third street?"

"Yes, why?"

He shook his head.

"What?" She prompted.

"You must have moved in during the middle of the night or something because I live on that street too. I guess no one saw you otherwise my dad would have been screaming at my door to go help you out."

She rose an eyebrow.

"Not that it would have bothered me to."

She turned her head away smiling. She shook her head and walked forward. This place may not be so bad after all.

"Come on let's go."

The walk home was much easier considering she was with someone who lives on the same street as her so even if she forgot how to read a map suddenly, it wouldn't be that bad.

"Not that I'm going to lose my intelligence skills," she thought.

But all the same, she guessed it was nice that she had some company. It was a new start, a fresh face that she didn't have to pretend to be anyone else with. However she wasn't sure what she would do about the whole shinigami factor. There was no denying it. With his strength there was no doubt that he would find out about her eventually, but sooner or later was the unanswered question.

They arrived at her house. Ichigo helped Leigh put everything away. He couldn't help but notice how similar in structure the house was to his own. However, there were tons of boxes everywhere that have yet to be unpacked.

"Sorry for the mess. I haven't quite settled everything just yet." Having been sleeping these past few days and all, but she wouldn't be saying that for fear of questions she was no where near ready to be answering just yet.

It wasn't like Ichigo minded anyhow. His cell phone rang.

He looked up apologetically when he saw who it was.

"Sorry, I've got to take this."

"No, go ahead," She responded.

"What is it Rukia?" Ichigo answered.

Leigh allowed Ichigo his privacy on the phone as she put the last of the groceries away. She looked out the window when she heard a bird chirping. She almost shook her head in amusement when she saw the coloring of it's red and black feathers. She almost thought about her own hair when she saw it. Except when the red dipped down the wing it became orange.

"Fitting colors."

"What's fitting?"

She looked up to see that Ichigo was finished with his phone call. She looked up. The second she looked into his eyes, the very second, she began to feel some of her hidden aggression from the war begin to melt away. His dark brown eyes looked so warm, but they had experience with battles.

Ichigo's eyes widened slightly as she looked straight at him. He had to fight not to squirm as he felt like she was looking into his very soul.

"Are you okay?" She shrugged.

He's had people look at him for multiple reasons many of them being because of his unusual hair color. Although he could tell that she'd seen his hair. Other reasons were for his strange shinigami powers and his high level strength. Others wanted to fight him to prove they were better, while he just wanted to protect his friends. But it wasn't the feeling he got from the look she was giving him. It looked to be pure curiosity, and maybe something else. What it was, he couldn't tell. It was almost like he was staring someone down in a battle of reiatsu, but he felt nothing coming from her like an ordinary human. If that was so, then why did he feel like the one that needed to look away first? As she stared at him, a new thought came to his conscience. To keep an eye on her. For what reason, he didn't know, but there was something different about her that he wanted to know about.

"Oh, Aibou you may want to be careful. You could be walking into something dangerous." Shiro said.

"More dangerous then hollows?" He retorted.

"Hey, just warning you. And it doesn't necessarily have to be about hollows does it?" He replied.

"What are you talking about?" Ichigo demanded. He received no response.

When he came back to reality, he could see that she was no longer focussed on him, which was a little disappointing for some reason. She was opening a box that had a cell phone inside it. He didn't know why he hadn't noticed it before.

"It must have been down in there that I didn't notice,"

Leigh got the phone out of the packaging and decided to program it to work, but not being very phone savvy she wasn't exactly sure how. She looked up to see Ichigo sitting next to her and tried to fight down a blush as she asked for his help.

She shook her head amused at her own change. "One minute I'm beating someone up and the next I'm a blushing mess. I just hope it wasn't noticable. Ah Jeez."

When he was finished he returned the phone to her and told her he programmed his phone number in if she needed anything she should call.

She nodded.

"Well, I better get going. Will I see you at school tomorrow?"

She rose an eyebrow. She hadn't thought about school.

"Oh, sure. I'll be there."

"All right. I'll introduce you to the others tomorrow. I'm sure Inoue would love to meet you. You can make another friend."

Her eyes widened as he made his way out the door. She turned her head as she heard the door close.

Oh yeah. Things were going to be different, and she had a feeling it would be so whether she wanted it to be or not.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Casper

When Leigh decided to move to Japan making friends had not been on her mind to do. The thought of making new friends after everything that happened made her sick with guilt. She wrapped her arms around herself and placed her forehead on the kitchen counter.

"God, what was I thinking? I can't go to a new school tomorrow. Not with all those people there at once."

She squeezed her eyes shut and fought back a frustrated cry. How did she give into Ichigo so easily? What had happened to all her plans of keeping to herself?

**"You say you want to be alone, but we both know that in your heart you really don't want that."**

She opened her eyes almost startled by the voice. She relaxed when she realized to whom it belonged to.

"It's always nice to hear your opinion Casper," she commented sarcasm clear in her voice. "Speaking of which, where have you been these last few days?"

**"Taking a nap ever since you defeated Voldemort."**

"Well, it's nice to hear from you again, but you know just as much as I do why I'm trying to push people back."

Casper sent her a pissed off look through her mind, complete with narrowed eyes and a growl.

**"The only reason I can come up with is that you have little confidence in our abilities. No, don't interrupt me,"** she snapped seeing Leigh open her mouth in protest. **"Your right to privacy from the wizarding world is understandable, but to hide it, especially from your friends just because of some shinigami you don't even know the name of told you to is what I don't comprehend."**

Leigh bit her lip feeling like a scolded child. She nodded.

"I'm sorry Casper. I didn't mean for you to feel insignificant, but… jeez you felt it too didn't you? The power that guy was using must have been nothing compared to what he's truly capable of."

**"You're right I did feel it. The very second I was born."**

"So, I've got a feeling that he could do some serious damage if he really wanted to."

**"Then he would never have left you alive. That aside then there is only one solution I can come up with."**

"What's that?" she asked gravely.

**"Time to train again."**

Her cell phone rang.

"Hold on Casper."

She grudgingly lifted her head and saw that it was listed as an unknown number. She closed her eyes, the nausea in her stomach disappearing. She pressed the phone to her head and answered.

"Your powers are as impressive as ever Luna. I haven't even given you my phone number yet," Leigh said trying to hold back her anxiety.

"It's a gift, dear friend. I was wondering if I could talk to you?" she asked.

"Go ahead."

"No, I mean in person. I've already spoken to Dumbledore's portrait on where you're at, but there's something else too."

"Is it that serious? Can't you tell me over the phone?"

"I'm afraid I'm not in a secure area Leigh."

Leigh closed her eyes. So, she was being followed. This only means that when she gives permission for Luna to come over her life will only be about security and sleeping with one eye open again. The Death Eaters assumed that if they follow Luna, they would be led straight to her.

Well, very fine her life is. What the hell? She guessed she didn't mind a few people knowing who she really was. But what will she do when it comes to meeting Ichigo's friends?

She sighed. 'I'll cross that bridge when I get to it I guess. Damn, why did those Death Eaters have to get brave again?'

"All right, come on over. Count to ten before you do."

"Thank you so much Leigh. I'm sorry for doing this to you, but you do know what this means right?"

She sure as hell did know. When she spoke to Dumbledore the office had clearly not been as secure as she would have liked so now someone other than Dumbledore and Luna knew where she currently resided.

"All right Luna. The wards are set. Come on over."

Luna smiled from the other end. If there was anyone listening in on them that should not be let them fear the power Leigh Potter has. That would teach them from bothering her.

"Trust me the one who's getting stronger with their abilities is you Leigh."

"If you say so." She replied after a moment's hesitation.

"I'll be over in a second."

"Please do so," came the reply.

Luna giggled and hoped that the idiot that had decided to follow her would change their mind, or they wouldn't see very much longer of their life.

'Perhaps I should say idiots instead,' the blonde thought to herself before disappearing with a pop.

Leigh nearly slammed the phone closed. She walked to the living room couch. Could she handle things going this fast? She felt a comforting nudge from Casper in her mind and whispered thanks to her. She sat down trying to relax, but her body was too tense, and the atmosphere wasn't helping either, especially when her scars were acting up again. However, she soon forgot as arms wrapped around her, hoping to help her relax.

"Here, I brought the healing potion you were planning to make," Luna said.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Leigh sighed. Despite the situation, Luna could be as pleasant as always. That's what she loved about her. And the fact that Luna had a special ability of knowing exactly what to say when it was needed was helpful, strange, but helpful. She couldn't help it though. It's like her life would not be normal if there was anything less than strange.

**"That's it,"** Casper whispered in her ear.

Leigh turned to her good friend.

"So when should I expect to see our lovely guests?"

"From what I gathered, they want to watch you for about a month to formulate a plan. Then they'll make their move. Unfortunately, I'm not sure what they'll be planning outside of being stationed in this town somewhere."

Goodness Luna, all that in one go.

"That's fine. The information alone will give me enough time to watch out for them."

This was exactly why she would want Luna on any recon assignments.

Luna gave a big grin.

Leigh flinched back. She did not like the look of that grin. It was far to un-Luna-like for her comfort. This was clearly a "I have a request" smile. She groaned.

"What?"

"I was just wondering how many rooms you had available in this house?"

Casper smirked inside her head, and gave her a push.

Leigh's head drooped with impending doom. Great. So much for solitude.

"Enough for three more people I'd expect. Why?" she asked suspiciously.

Luna stuck out her lip in a pout and spoke, "Your godson and I miss you."

Just after those words exited Luna's mouth she could feel the solitude life disappearing right before her eyes. It hasn't been a day awake yet, and already her plans for being alone were flushing down the drain. Leigh could hear Casper enjoy every moment of this as she laughed inside her head.

'Jeez, they might as well be in the sewer system by now,' she grumbled bitterly. 'Damn that whimpering lip, using the godson card on me. I'll admit that baby was cute.'

Leigh closed her eyes. Luna took that as the sign of acceptance.

"Hey, look on the bright side. You'll have help defeating the remaining Death Eaters, and we'll get to make new friends tomorrow." Luna sprang from the couch and squealed happily.

"Okay, I'll come back with Teddy tomorrow."

"Go on, go on," Leigh nodded as Luna gave her a hug and apparated away.

She flopped onto the couch just after wiping the healing balm to her skin.

"Fate, I swear. One day I'll make you regret screwing with me."

**"Admit it. You're happier with Luna around,"** Casper said.

"Actually, I'm not happy."

**"I know you're not happy, but you're happier. I can feel it in your heart already. If you are the Gryffindor that you are I know how you are going to handle Ichigo and his friends too."**

"If you say so," Leigh sighed. "By the way…"

**"What?"**

"You are way too enthusiastic about the training."

**"You got it young lady."**

"Casper, If I'm a young lady, then you are a baby."

**"On the contrary my wielder. I was just sleeping this whole time before I was woken up."**

"But you said 'born' before."

Casper did not respond.

"Oh, whatever Casper," she cried exasperated.

**"Things will get better, but only if you let them."**

"I know. It's going to be hard though."

**"It would suck if anything was that easy wouldn't it."**

"When do we start training?"

**"Right now!"**

"It's not even been a full week and all ready I'm getting myself into trouble again. It must be some sort of record," she thought irritated, entering her inner world.

* * *

A/N: Hoping you enjoyed this newest chapter. Casper is Leigh's Zanpakutou spirit. I will explain what she looks like later, along with her powers. For now, I will be working on her first day of school.


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